The workhorse of dentistry: decay removed, the tooth rebuilt in a shade matched to its neighbors, usually inside 45 minutes and priced in writing first.
Family Dental Care Missouri places tooth-colored composite fillings at 1010 Walnut St, Suite 280, downtown Kansas City, typically in a single 30 to 45 minute visit under local anesthetic, with the cost confirmed in writing before treatment. Call (816) 439-7715.
Reviewed by Dr. Navkiran Warya, DDS - August 2026
What happensThe tooth is numbed, the decay is removed completely, and the space is rebuilt in layers of composite matched to the shade of your own tooth, then shaped and polished so your bite closes exactly as it did before. Because composite bonds to the tooth, we remove only what decay has claimed and keep the rest, which is the quiet advantage over the old approach. One tooth usually takes 30 to 45 minutes; neighboring teeth are combined into one visit where sensible, which matters when you are fitting dentistry around a downtown work day.
| Stage | What happens | What you feel |
|---|---|---|
| Numbing | Gel on the gum, then slow local anesthetic | A pinch, then nothing |
| Decay removal | All softened tooth is cleared | Pressure and vibration only |
| Rebuild | Composite layered, shaped and light-cured | Nothing |
| Bite check | Polish and precise bite adjustment | Tap together on marking paper |
| After | Numbness fades over 2-3 hours | Possible mild sensitivity for a few days |
A filling needs enough sound tooth around it to hold. When decay or an old failed filling has claimed too much of the tooth, packing in an ever-larger filling just postpones a fracture, and the honest recommendation becomes a crown. When decay has reached the nerve, a filling alone seals in the problem, and root canal treatment comes first. The exam tells us which side of those lines a tooth is on, and you hear the reasoning, not just the verdict. Left entirely alone, small cavities only grow, which is the economics behind the six-month checkup.
Often you do not, which is the point of checkups. Early decay usually causes no pain and hides between teeth or in grooves where you cannot see it; by the time a tooth aches with sweet, cold or pressure, the cavity is rarely small. The exam and X-rays find decay at the stage where a small filling ends the story. If a tooth is already sensitive, book sooner rather than later. Call (816) 439-7715.
For the everyday run of cavities, modern composite fillings are a proven, durable standard of care, bonded to the tooth rather than wedged into it, which lets us keep more healthy tooth structure. Very large cavities in heavy-biting back teeth sometimes need more than any filling can offer, and in those cases we will say plainly that a crown is the honest recommendation rather than stretching a filling past its limits. Call (816) 439-7715.
The tooth is numbed with local anesthetic first, and for most patients the injection, done slowly with a numbing gel on the gum beforehand, is the only part they notice. The tooth itself should feel pressure and vibration, not pain, and if you feel anything more you raise a hand and we stop and top up. Mild sensitivity for a few days afterwards is common and settles. Call (816) 439-7715.
A single straightforward filling is usually done inside 30 to 45 minutes from sitting down to leaving, including getting numb, and several fillings in the same area of the mouth are often combined into one visit to save you repeat trips downtown. The numbness itself takes a few hours to fade, so plan meetings and meals around that rather than around the appointment. Call (816) 439-7715.
The honest answer is that it depends on the size and the number of surfaces involved, which is exactly what the exam establishes, and you get the figure in writing before any drilling starts, never after. Most dental insurance plans cover fillings as basic restorative care, and the front desk checks your specific benefits first. CareCredit and Cherry financing are available when several teeth need work. Call (816) 439-7715.